I’m Gonna Wash Those Mites Right Outta My…………….

Remember the song lyrics from South Pacific? I’m gonna wash that man right outa my hair…

I was reminded of that recently. I was speaking to a sweet retiree on the West Coast. She had just discovered that she was allergic to dust mites and was told to start washing to get rid of them. Unfortunately, there was a break down in communication because while she knew she had to wash them out, she didn’t know exactly what she needed to wash them out of. She had done a little searching on the internet, but only came away more confused. I can’t tell you how relieved she was to contact us, get good, actionable information and find out that she didn’t need to wash the mites out of her hair, car, or kitchen cabinets.

We talked about the necessity of washing her bed linens weekly in hot water. Because she can’t control the temperature of the hot water where she lives, we decided that her best plan of action was to wash with De-Mite Laundry additive to get rid of mites in her bedding. Doctors often tell their patients to wash bedding in hot water, but they don’t mention that the water needs to be 140 degrees. Most homes don’t have water that hot. If the water isn’t hot enough to kill the mites, it is just a waste of energy to heat it up “almost enough” but not quite hot enough.

To get rid of mites in bedding, you can add De-Mite and wash in cold water. Just focus on the bedding. I can’t tell you how relieved the caller was to discover that she didn’t need to wash all the clothes in her closet. She didn’t come out and say it, but I got the impression she had more than just a few ensembles in her closet. Adding the De-Mite is just a small thing to do but it gets big results. And results are what it is all about.

I can’t help but laugh, when on occasion I do a search on “wash dust mites out” or “get rid of dust mites”. You find so many crazy ideas out there, I can see where people get confused. One site tells you to add baking soda to your water. Well, baking soda will act as a softener if your water is hard and the surfactants in your detergent will be more effective but that has zero to do with killing dust mites. Another site tells you to wash all your clothes in hot water and run an ozone machine in your house. Really? Ozone? Isn’t that the thing that when there is so much of it in the air outside they tell you to stay inside? Wikihow actually tells you to clean out your cupboards. Excuse me Mr. Wiki but there just aren’t lots of dust mites in your cupboard, why do you want people to clean there? See why people get confused?

If you have questions about what to do or just feel overwhelmed, don’t forget that our friendly Customer Service staff is just a phone call away. All of our employees are well versed in helping people control their indoor environment so they can control their allergies. After all, its what we do.

Til Next Time!

Cheryl
The Allergy Store

Dust Mite Mattress Covers on a Budget

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Posted in What Are Dust Mites

If you need to get a dust mite mattress cover and have a very limited budget, don’t overlook the Linen fabric.

For years, dust mite covers were made by fusing vinyl or plastic to fabric.. The result was a material that was highly effective at stopping allergens. It was also very hot, very uncomfortable, and difficult to launder. As technology advanced, the allergen fabric industry figured out how to replace the vinyl with a water vapor transmissive coating of urethane. As a result, the material was still highly effective at stopping allergens and was much lighter and cooler. Laundering was not difficult, but care had to be taken when drying the fabric. Right after the urethane membrane fabrics appeared on the scene, the first microweaves appeared..

Microweaves are fabrics where the fibers are so tightly woven that allergens cannot penetrate the fabric. They were initially referred to as barrier cloths, because they put a barrier between the sleeper and the allergens. The microweaves became highly popular because they were lightweight and could be woven from a variety of fabrics. The downside to these microweaves is that they require a great deal of raw material to produce and as a result the fabric is very expensive. When the economy was clicking along at 4 and 5 percent unemployment the microweaves became all the rage and the coated fabrics faded quietly into the background.

Until recently, the coated fabrics were marketed primarily for their ability to keep bed bugs from feeding through the material and thus were an important part of controlling an active bed bug infestation. The dust mite stopping characteristics of these fabrics faded in the background.

Well, I say “No More!” If you need a budget-friendly dust mite mattress cover then please consider our Linen Cotton/Poly Blend material.. The blend of cotton and polyester (equal amounts) woven to a percale-type finish is fused by heat to a 1 mil urethane backing. This urethane makes the fabric allergy-proof and water-proof. With proper care, this membrane can last for years. Heat and chemicals are the dangers. When you wash your membrane coated covers, you must not use liquid chlorine bleach. Also, when you place them in the dryer, you want to use the lowest setting possible. High heat will cause the membrane to separate from the fabric.

Because I sleep on a soft-sided waterbed, a zippered encasement is not possible for my bed. I must use a fitted cover, and the fitted cover is only available in the Linen fabric. While I live in South Florida, I don’t find the fabric to be hotter than any of the other fabrics. I have zippered covers on my other mattresses and I don’t see a big difference as far as temperature is concerned.

In these tough economic times, you have to save where you can. Don’t leave your mattress unprotected because of the higher prices of the microweave fabrics. Use the Linen on your mattress. If you can’t afford the SMS or vinyl box spring cover right now, get that later. For the best bang for your buck, get the mattress and pillow covered first. Cover the duvet second and worry about the box spring last. Get the Linen for the mattress and a microweave for the pillow and get relief now.

Til Next Time!

Cheryl
The Allergy Store

Does Where You Live Influence Food Allergies?

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Posted in What Are Dust Mites

Several studies have been conducted over the years looking at the prevalence of allergies in people that live in urban versus rural areas. The focus of these studies has been on variations of environmental allergies. Researchers have noted that people living in rural areas have fewer environmental allergies than people that live in urban, suburban and more populated areas.

Theories abound, from the early childhood exposure to bacteria found living in rural areas strengthens the immune system to pollutants in urban areas weakens the immune system.

However, the results of the only large scale study conducted in the United States of children’s food allergies as distributed by geographic location was just recently released. It was no surprise that children in urban and more populated areas tended to have more food allergies than children that live in rural areas. Of the food allergies reported, only milk and soy allergy showed no preference for city or country living. Peanut and shellfish were the most widely reported and there are more food allergies in the southern population than the northern population. Although with the exception of Nevada, the states with the highest food allergies reported tended to be states with coastlines and it might be that these kids are more exposed to shellfish than kids in more interior states.

You can read the entire study here at The Clinical Pediatrics Journal. The researchers draw no conclusions based on the study, but one can’t help but wondering if a return to a more rural lifestyle would be healthier. Now that doesn’t mean you have to sell the condo in the city and grab a cow and head for the country, but there is something to be said for letting the kids out more and encouraging them to dig in the dirt.

I encouraged my kids to garden with me when they were small. They don’t have food allergies, and I don’t know that their lack of food allergy has any relationship to their digging in the dirt. My hubby has food allergies and if there is a hole to be dug in the yard, he’s your man! So, it can’t hurt to get out there and dig in the dirt and if you have pollen allergies, don’t let that stop you either. Just grab the best mask for gardening…ever…the Q-Mask. Wash your hands when you come inside.

Go have fun.

Til Next Time!

Cheryl
The Allergy Store

Breast Cancer and Parabens Could be Connected

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Posted in What Are Dust Mites

A study published in the March Journal of Applied Toxicology reports strong evidence for the connection between parabens and breast cancer. You can read more here at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jat.1786/abstract.

In a nutshell, researchers in England studied the tissue removed as part of mastectomies and in 99% of the cases, the tissue contained parabens. The tissues studied came from different parts of the breast and from women of all ages and breastfeeding history. the one thing they all had in common was the presence of parabens. Parabens are widely used in the cosmetic and personal care industries as preservatives. While some folks have long suspected deodorants to be a factor in cancer, it is interesting to note that some of these women didn’t use any form of deodorant (must be an English thing). Parabens also a common irritant to people that are sensitive and can cause dermatitis.

Deodorants can contain parabens, as well as shampoos, conditioners, shaving creams, sunscreens and other substances that people apply directly to their skin and hair. Kind of scary when you consider that your skin is the largest organ in your body. You think you are doing something to protect yourself when in fact you could be doing more harm than good. We don’t recommend that you stop using skin lotions and creams and sunscreens and we aren’t saying to quit washing your hair. But we are saying to be aware of what you are putting on your body and start reading labels if you don’t do so already!

Dermatologists have been recommending VaniCream and Free & Clear personal care products for years because they are free from dyes, fragrances, masking fragrances, and other irritating substances. Based on these findings, I would recommend that anyone concerned about breast cancer start reading labels and look for parabens in any of their skin or hair care products. Even if you don’t have outward appearances of sensitivity to parabens, bad things can be going on under the surface. The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database of personal care products has always rated the Vanicream and Free & Clear products as safe. The Vanicream Sunsport sunscreen made the list of preferred sunscreens this year. If you are already using a paraben free skin cream like Vanicream, be sure to tell your friends and family about this breast cancer link and urge them to start reading labels.

Friends don’t let friends use skin and hair care products with parabens!

Til Next Time

Cheryl
The Allergy Store

Everybody Has a Concrete Floor

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Posted in Allergies Question/Answers

The first time I ever heard about someone staining the floors in their home was about 15 years ago. We had a friend that didn’t like the carpeting but could not afford to replace it with tile or wood. Susie’s solution was to ripe out the carpet and stain her floors. Up until then the only stained concrete floors I had seen were in warehouses and garages.

Fast forward to today and it is everywhere. I now see it in homes, restaurants and stores. It’s easier to take care of and in most cases cheaper than tile or wood floors.

We have been telling our customers that carpeting is not a good thing to have it when you have allergies. No matter how clean it looks it still holds all sorts of allergens including pollen, dust, grass and dust mites. I believe staining is a nice alternative that should be considered.

A while back I wrote an article on concrete floors after talking to a few customers. How to Stain Concrete Floors. This was what I knew about it. On my to do list is cleaning out the garage ans staining the floor.

Anyway here are a couple of videos I ran across on Youtube while looking for more information. The first one just confirms what we already know. The second one is step by step instructions.

Video – Controlling Allergens With Concrete Floors

Video – DIY Concrete Staining: How to Stain Concrete Floors

Wishing you the best of health

Mike Krause
AllergyStore.Com
800 771-2246

Dust Mite Allergy Facts

Everything Dust Mites

Author: admin

I’m Gonna Wash Those Mites Right Outta My…………….

Dust Mite Mattress Covers on a Budget

Does Where You Live Influence Food Allergies?

Breast Cancer and Parabens Could be Connected

Everybody Has a Concrete Floor